The Art of Covering Up

Today we're going to chat a little with Dave J. Ford, artist/photographer/graphic designer and book jacket genius, (my personal opinion creeping in there, lol).
Seriously, though, Dave designs book covers. He creates the kind of artwork that brings a book to life, makes it jump into our hands when we're shopping, and begs us to take a peek inside at the words the author has poured into their work.

When a cover is released, it's often the author who gets the kudos, but the artist should not be forgotten...
Hi, Dave! Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions and share some of your work with us.

Have you always been drawn, (pardon the pun), to the visual arts?
As far back as I can remember, I have done some form of drawing or visual art. I remember distinctly drawing Snoopy cartoons on my school notebooks at the age of five.
What type of artwork did you start with?
I started with simple pencil drawings. It was always reassuring to be able to use an eraser when needed, and believe me; I used the eraser a LOT! :) I recall at the tender age of six, I drew this incredibly detailed underground city with vehicles and roadways and caverns, etc. I am blessed (or cursed depending on one's viewpoint) with having a brain that uses both hemispheres on overdrive, so the logical met the artistic in creating these virtual worlds in my head and on paper.

I also recall drawing a lot of airplanes as a kid and I even had a professional artist critique them! I am sure they were rubbish as I was only seven, but I know his kind words encouraged me to continue.

I moved on to charcoal portraits and photography and from that background, I started working with colour and finally found the joy in painting. Then about ten years ago, thanks to a good friend, who has sadly passed away, I was introduced to abstract work and created many pieces using recycled computer parts. My most recent passion has been clay sculpting, and now I am completely absorbed by Photoshop!



Your photography always leaves me awestruck. What's your secret to getting such beautiful photos?
Pure luck! It took me a lot of time and many failed trips to reach a point where I could take a photo I was pleased with. I have approximately 30,000 images hidden away and the public has seen maybe 600 of those. In truth, one good shot out of every fifty shots is a terrible average.

Early on, I seemed to develop a sense for the aesthetic in life. I can see shapes and patterns in everything. I think this leads back to my ability to see things artistically while also viewing things from a mathematical standpoint.
I have to admit that my location has a LOT to do with the end result. I spent several years living in North Wales and was extremely inspired by the scenery there. I am also lucky enough to have done some travelling in my lifetime and have found these foreign locations very visually compelling too.

How did you become interested in digital imaging?
I started taking holiday photos at the age of 11. Over time, I graduated from holiday snaps to people photography and ended up doing weddings by the time I was 19. After about 7 years of this, I sort of burned out and gave up on photography for a while.
Almost ten years later, one Christmas, just as a new chapter was starting in my life, I decided to buy a digital camera. I rediscovered photography at this point. The best thing to me about digital imaging is the fact that you can see your results
right away and it allows the freedom to experiment so much more!
This leads me to comment on Photoshop; a tool that has become my best friend in recent years. I started using it to correct the mistakes I made with exposures in my photography but soon learned that it allowed me to add and subtract elements within an image. I saw the potential for a HUGE level of creativity never before achieved with my photography!

My imaging skills have now moved forward into the realm of fantasy. I create purely fictional worlds and places using many small pieces of my photos and create brand new compositions. Some images have as many as 60 or 70 layers!
Did you take any formal artistic training?
Until recently, I had never taken any kind of formal training. I tend to have a short attention span, so I find teaching myself the easiest method of learning. However, about 4 years ago, I did start studying for a BA in Fine Art at a university in the UK. I was unable to finish this course because I had to return to Canada to care for my father who had been taken ill... One day, I hope to return to it.


What finished piece have you gotten the most enjoyment out of creating?
The fantasy cover I recently created for Ressa Empbra has probably been the most fun so far! I cannot share this image with you just now because it has not been revealed yet! I made a promise that I would keep it under wraps until the book release, but I can tell you it includes dragons!

Another piece I really enjoyed creating was a sculpture of the head of a famous Star Trek personality, but it became a somewhat surreal piece as during the firing process the top of his skull caved in. I actually liked it this way even better, so it remained in this condition.


Is there one piece that drove you crazy?
EVERY piece drives me crazy for a little while at least, but there's an image I painted a few years ago that made me the craziest. It was just a random landscape I made of an alien world. I had it perfect except for one area which was driving me completely batty. So I tried to fix the area and ended up getting carried away which ultimately ruined the painting. I still have it hidden away somewhere in my 'closet of crap that I cannot bear to part with'.
These types of experiences propelled me into using Photoshopas a creative tool. At least there's an UNDO button for my crazy moments!

You've won awards for some of your work. Were you nervous entering the competitions?
I was never nervous ENTERING the competitions but I was always a bag of nerves WAITING to hear if I had won! :)
Can you tell us a bit about what competing was like, for you?
I was often surprised that I had won and quite often confused by which images won. However shocked I might have been, I won't ever look a gift award in the mouth. It's fun to compete but I discovered I was tailoring my art to appeal to the judges. This isn't my reason for creating art, so I have not felt much like competing lately.
How did you get started designing custom covers for books?
I seem to recall a very enterprising and enthusiastic author/friend of mine asked me to create a cover for her. I was both excited and terrified at the prospect, but I went ahead and 'did my own thing' based on the little bit of her book that I had read and her own synopsis. Luckily she was very pleased with the result despite it being nothing like her suggestions!
You're a rather excellent writer as well. Does this help when you're designing book covers?
Thank you! The little amount of writing I have accomplished took me a hell of a long time and a LOT of editing! As I am inherently lazy, I tend to stick to the artwork because it is easier for my brain to create images than words. I don't think my ability to write has much bearing on my cover art.
What's your process for designing covers?
I think the process tends to follow these steps:

1. Panic – Well wasn't that smart? I said I would do this cover but I haven't a clue what to do now!

2. Denial - Just because I have no ideas and no clue HOW to create this cover, all will be fine!

3. Anger - Why I am I such a hack? What was I thinking? I am crap artist with crap talents..I might as well go and work at McDonalds.

4. Confusion - What the hell am I doing now? I have 16 different ideas and 25 different images that I've started. Am I ever going to get this done?

5. Acceptance - Okay, I have to do this and I might as well stay up and see how it turns out..

6. Forgiveness - OMG! I did it! It actually looks okay and the author is happy too! Thank God!

Do you require specific information about a book before you begin?
Yes..I like to have a synopsis..and an idea of the main characters, settings, etc. before starting. I seldom have time to read the book beforehand but, ironically, I am always anxious to read it AFTER I've worked on the cover.
Do you prefer it when the author has a clear idea of what they want, or do you enjoy having "carte blanche" more?
I think it's easier to have free reign over the cover design, but I am always happy for input and feedback from the author during the design process.
About how long does a detailed cover take, start to finish?
The simpler images and covers take me around a day or 8 to 10 hours to complete. However, I recently created a fantasy cover for a lovely lady and for her project, I built this entire fantasy world from the ground up. I would estimate I invested 45 to 50 hours into it but I LOVED every minute of it! She paid me well for my work, but I did it mostly because I LOVE it! I only wish more authors would realize the value of a professional cover as it is the first thing people see!
You give writers this one little extra that makes us want to cry. You send a "virtual book" picture after the cover is done, so we can see what our printed book might look like. Where did that idea come from?
This idea stems back to about 20 years ago when I did a lot of 3D rendering and artwork. I always loved to see a 'real' object created out of digital elements and I thought it would just be a nice touch to give my clients a 'real' book to aim towards. I like to think it gives them further inspiration and encouragement!


I must interrupt here to assure Dave that those 3D cover shots certainly do offer inspiration and encouragement. I strongly suggest any Independent Author have their cover designed and get one of these 3D renderings prior to editing. Whenever I get discouraged during the beta reading and editing process, a glance at my 3D cover gives me all the encouragement I need to keep going.


Here's your chance at a little self-promotion, lol. You have a book of medical humour cartoons. Can you tell us a little more about them?
An unfortunate affliction called Crohn's Disease has placed me in the hospital on MANY occasions, sometimes for several months at a time. During one of my hospital stays, a friend very kindly brought me a sketchpad and some pencils. With considerable effort and many wasted pages, I discovered I could draw cartoons!

Each day, I created a new cartoon and taped it on the wall next to my bed. Whenever I could, I coaxed a nurse into making photocopies of my cartoons so I could color them with pencils and post them in the hospital halls. Pretty soon, other patients started to seek me out to see what I had created each day. It actually turned my hospital experience into an almost pleasurable one!

These cartoons and other doodles coalesced into a collection, which I have compiled into a book. I have sold quite a few copies from my website and through word of mouth. I keep meaning to send a copy to a few publishers but never seem to get around to it. I think I need an agent..lol
Where can everyone find you, online?
You can currently find me online at:
www.facebook.com/printsbydave (My facebook page showcasing my latest photography and photoshop images)
http://www.printsbydave.deviantart.com/
(Fledgling Deviant Art page..still working on this!)
http://www.davidjohnford.com/ (an old but still fairly decent representation of my photographic work)
http://www.cartoonsbydave.com/ (an older site focussing on my cartoons)
http://www.printsbydave.com/ (coming soon! I m not a good website builder so this one is still in the works)

Thank you, Dave, for taking the time with us, and giving us a little peek into the art of book jacket design.
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All images used in this post are courtesy of, and property of, Dave J. Ford.